2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This work-in-progress study examines Electrical Engineering students’ learning experiences following changes to an electronic circuits laboratory class. Experiential learning is an effective strategy in engineering, fostering problem-solving skills and the application of theoretical
knowledge [1, 2]. Complementing this, structured reflection helps students integrate new knowledge with prior understanding and deepen metacognitive awareness [3, 4]. In this work a combination of hands-on activities, course staff led demonstrations, and reflection exercises
(concurrent with lab and post lab) is used in an electronic circuits lab to help students synthesize multiple concepts, relate them to practical applications, and assess the trade-offs (pros and cons) inherent in engineering design decisions. These learning objectives also align with KEEN’s
Entrepreneurial Mindset framework, which has been integrated into numerous engineering curricula in recent years [5].

A Likert-scale survey was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the changes on students’ learning, and the result showed approximately 70% of the participating students responded positively to the integrated hands-on and reflection-based learning activities, supporting the
changes’ effectiveness. Students’ learning reflections were analyzed qualitatively, specifically, by applying the thematic coding method [6]. The findings of the preliminary qualitative analysis of students’ reflections revealed that not only were students able to make a connection of the
concepts and theories they have studied in the previous courses to the current lab activities, but also some articulated how their previous knowledge has expanded by being able to consider different aspects of design trade-offs, such as efficiency and noise. Additionally, others explored the trade-off in the circuit design in different contexts beyond the provided one and in real-life situations and were able to consider the interconnectedness of parts and their influences on one another when designing trade-off.

The research team will continue to conduct comprehensive analysis on the survey result and students’ reflections about the lab activities, and the full manuscript with the final outcomes will be submitted for final review.

References
[1] G. Tembrevilla, A. Phillion, and M. Zeadin, “Experiential learning in engineering education: A systematic literature review,” Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 113, no. 1, pp. 195–218, 2024.
[2] D. A. Kolb, Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. FT press, 2014.
[3] L. R. Chen, M. Jacques, and Z. Sobhanigavgani, “On the use of reflective writing exercises for improving student learning of conceptual and technical problems in engineering,” Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA), 2019.
[4] R. M. Clark and S. J. Dickerson, “Assessing the impact of reflective activities in digital and analog electronics courses,” IEEE Transactions on Education, vol. 62, no. 2, pp. 141–148, 2019.
[5] J. Blake Hylton, D. Mikesell, J.-D. Yoder, and H. LeBlanc, “Working to instill the entrepreneurial mindset across the curriculum,” Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 86–106, 2020.
[6] J. Salda˜na, “The coding manual for qualitative researchers,” 2021.